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Joanne Christiansen

June 20, 1933 - Feb. 16, 2019

Joanne Christiansen, 85,

Bowbells, ND passed

away Saturday, February

16, 2019 at Trinity Hospi-

tal in Minot.

Joanne Adele Knoke

was born June 20, 1933,

the third daughter of Clif-

ford and Beth (Peterson)

Knoke at the hospital in

Bottineau. She was raised

on their farm, north of

Willow City, ND. As a

child, Joanne loved riding

horseback with her

friends and playing in the

barn with her horses.

Joanne attended school in

Willow City and graduat-

ed with the Class of 1951.

Joanne earned her Stan-

dard Teaching Degree

from Minot State

Teacher’s College. Joanne

began her teaching career

in 1953 where she taught

fourth grade for 2 years in

Bowbells, ND and a year

in Tioga. She loved being

a teacher, but she loved

her future husband even

more. She married Leo

Christiansen on June 8,

1956, and they were mar-

ried for 61 years. They be-

gan their married farm life

in Denmark Township,

Ward County and then

built a new farmstead in

Bowbells Township,

Burke County where they

farmed until 2009 raising

their three children dur-

ing those years. Joanne

lived on the farm for the

remainder of her life, nev-

er giving up her garden or

her yard. Joanne did re-

turn to teaching when she

taught kindergarten for a

few years in Bowbells

Public School, and she

also substitute taught in

Bowbells and Kenmare

during the late 1970s

through the 1990s. One of

Joanne’s greatest joys was

when her grandson, John,

began his teaching career

in the very same class-

room she taught when she

began teaching.

Joanne and Leo enjoyed

socializing with their

many friends. They were

members of the Circle and

Swing Square Dance Club

in Kenmare and the Beaus

‘n Belles Square Dance

Club in Bowbells. They

spent many Saturday

nights at couple’s dances

in the area. Joanne en-

joyed entertaining in her

home, and many winter

nights were spent hosting

whist card parties, invit-

ing friends to visit, and

hosting Christmas parties

for her Homemaker’s

Club.

Joanne was a founding

member of the Town and

Country Homemaker’s

Club which just celebrat-

ed its 50th anniversary.

Joanne always said how

thankful she was that she

was a member of this club

as it offered such great

fun, learning, and friend-

ships. She especially en-

joyed helping to create

ideas for the many floats

they built for parades in

Bowbells.

Joanne was a former

member of Nazareth Luth-

eran Church in Kenmare

and was currently a

member of Bethlehem

Lutheran Church in

Bowbells where she was

an active member of the

women’s circles and

groups. She enjoyed the

years when she was able

to sing with small groups

as special music for

church services.

Joanne was always ac-

tive and was referred to

by family and friends as

“The Energizer Bunny”.

She could spend the

whole day mowing grass

with a push mower but

still would do her two

mile walk at the end of

the day to make sure she

got her “exercise.” Joanne

enjoyed volunteering, and

one of her favorite activi-

ties the past two years,

while Leo was in the

nursing home, was read-

ing Little House on the

Prairie books to the

residents.

Joanne’s grandchildren

have the best memories of

her wonderful food and

all the hours of card

games, board games, and

outdoor games she would

play with them. She once

said, “Grandkids just

don’t realize how special

they are to us old folks.”

Joanne’s family in-

cludes Vicki (Bruce)

Dougherty, Powell, WY,

Randy (Sue) Christiansen,

rural Bowbells, and Darcy

Christiansen, rural

Bowbells; grandchildren,

Beth (Josh) Ristow, Pa-

trick Dougherty (fiancÈ

Mackenzie Hamre), Kiley

(Kevin) Cintron, Jayme

(Joe) Ogden, John Chris-

tiansen, Shane (Em-

maLee) Christiansen,

great-granddaughter, Han-

nah Ristow; sister Diane

Boetel Waldron, Apache

Junction, AZ; and several

nieces, nephews, and

cousins.

Joanne was preceded in

death by her husband,

Leo; her parents Clifford

and Beth Knoke; her sis-

ters Marion Wetzel and

Nona Lillard; and her

niece, Kathy Wetzel.

Funeral: Tuesday,

February 19, 2019 at 2

p.m. at Bethlehem Luth-

eran Church, Bowbells,

ND.

Interment: A family

burial service will be held

in the spring.

Memorials: may be

given to Bethany Lutheran

Cemetery, rural Bowbells,

in care of Nazareth Luth-

eran Church, or to the ac-

tivities fund at Kenmare

Hospital.

Those wishing to sign

the online register and

share memories may ac-

cess the online obituaries

section at (www.

thompsonlarson.com).